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Oxytocin Effect on Collective Decision Making: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Study.

Uri Hertz¹, Maria Kelly², Robb B Rutledge^3,4

¹Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom.

|April 13, 2016

Summary

Oxytocin did not reduce collective benefits in group decision-making tasks. Instead, it enhanced collaboration over time by helping less competent individuals rely on more competent partners.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Social Psychology
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Collective decision-making relies on balancing individual competence with influence.
Oxytocin influences social behaviors like trust and conformity.
Potential impact of oxytocin on the competence-influence balance in groups is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if intranasal oxytocin disrupts the balance between competence and influence in collective decision-making.
To determine if oxytocin reduces collective benefits by increasing reliance on partners' opinions.

Main Methods:

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design.
Male dyads self-administered intranasal oxytocin or placebo.
Participants completed a collaborative visual search task.

Main Results:

Oxytocin did not decrease collective benefits compared to placebo.
Exploratory analysis revealed increased collective benefits over time with oxytocin.
Competent members were less likely to change their minds; less competent members showed greater conformity.

Conclusions:

Oxytocin may enhance collaborative efficiency by promoting role-dependent social learning.
Individuals may better balance influence and competence under oxytocin through improved performance monitoring.
Oxytocin could facilitate more efficient and beneficial group collaboration.